Location-Based Notification Policy Enforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile devices often provide undesired notifications due to user unawareness of appropriate settings or failure to adjust settings correctly in different environments, leading to socially unacceptable or prohibited noise levels.
Innovation Solution
A system where a server maintains policy information for predefined areas, transmitting relevant policies to mobile devices based on their location, defining notification, origination, and application policies for specific spaces, allowing devices to adjust settings accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If mobile devices provide customizable notification settings, then user control over notifications is improved, but instances of undesired notifications still occur due to user unawareness or inadvertent failure to adjust settings
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic notification policy enforcement by having the mobile device self-determine its location and self-apply the appropriate notification policy without requiring user intervention. The device autonomously queries the server for location-based policies and automatically configures its notification settings based on the returned policy information, eliminating the need for users to manually adjust settings while maintaining reliable appropriate notification behavior.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual notification setting adjustment is required, then user customization capability is improved, but social acceptability and compliance with location-based norms deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-defining notification policies for various locations and spaces through the server. Before the mobile device enters a location, the appropriate notification policy is already prepared and stored on the server. When the device queries the server (either proactively or reactively), it receives the pre-configured policy information and immediately applies it, ensuring social acceptability is maintained without requiring real-time user judgment or manual adjustment.
3Reliability
If location-based policy enforcement is implemented, then notification appropriateness in different environments is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary server that manages the complexity of location-based policy enforcement. The server stores policy information for multiple locations and spaces, processes location queries from mobile devices, and returns appropriate policy data. This intermediary approach centralizes the complex policy management functionality, allowing mobile devices to enforce notification compliance without carrying the full burden of policy management complexity themselves.
4Reliability
If users are made aware of appropriate settings, then notification appropriateness is improved, but user burden and interaction requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system eliminates user burden by implementing automatic self-service notification policy enforcement. The mobile device autonomously determines its location, queries the server for applicable policies, and applies the appropriate notification settings without requiring user awareness or interaction. This automated approach ensures notification suitability is maintained while eliminating the time users would otherwise spend manually adjusting settings.
Data Source
AI summary
A property could be covered by a mobile device policy map that defines a plurality of spaces within the property and associates each defined space with a respective notification policy regarding how one or more classes of mobile devices are permitted to provide notifications in response to incoming communications. The mobile device policy map for a property could be developed by the proprietor of the property and could be enforced by a server. A mobile device could report its location to the server, and the server could determine that the location is within or proximate to an area covered by a mobile device policy map. The server could then transmit at least a portion of the mobile device policy map to the mobile device, so that the mobile device can apply the relevant policies based on its location.